It Was A Beautiful Dream
by jls62113
Summary: Rick and Michonne one shot or chapters, I haven't decided yet. The title speaks for itself. I really like some elements of this that I may explore and expand on. Possibly a conversation with 10-year-old Judith and her dad. Also, an homage paid to Andrew Lincoln.
1. Chapter 1

**It Was A Beautiful Dream**

The day was glorious. The sound of birds chirping instead of walkers snarling was welcome and not to be taken advantage of again. The giggles of her children made Michonne smile as she sat on a blanket in the Deanna Monroe Park watching her husband playing a game of mini soccer with 10-year-old Judith, and their 5-year-old twin boys Rick Jr. and Andrew. The 6-month-old baby girl Maggie lay sleeping peacefully by her side, and along with Judith, was the apple of her father's eye. She still couldn't believe he had talked her into having another child after the twins, but she was glad he did. She was happier than she had ever been.

They had come a long way and had found peace at last. Carl and Enid were happy at the Hilltop helping Maggie run things there, and many more settlements had been established since Jesus first took them to the Kingdom.

She was proud of Rick and what he had accomplished, but it came at a cost. Many of their friends were dead, and the new friends they made could never replace the ones who had followed Rick Grimes through hell. He still had the occasional vigilant sleepless nights, and constantly checked on the children. The nightmares for both of them had been rare, and thankfully not at the same time.

Several months ago, Negan was found dead in the forest just outside Alexandria. The cause of death was unknown, but the lucky bastard probably had a heart attack. So many things had happened over the ten years since they had to fight just to establish a safe zone which now encompassed over several hundred miles. She thought often of all the friends they lost along the way who had this dream too.

"Care to join us?" Rick said walking to where she sat.

"Yeah, come on Mom." Called Judith.

Michonne stood up and started chasing the twins with Judith letting the boys think they were outrunning them.

Rick sat down by the sleeping baby and picked her up. Baby Maggie stretched in his hands as he lifted her from the blanket and into his arms. As if knowing she was in the arms of the safest man possible, she opened her blue eyes and smiled up at her father. Michonne stole glances at Rick with their daughter, smiling at the fact that Judith and baby Maggie have their father wrapped around their little fingers.

"Where my 'lil dudes at?"

"Uncle Daryl!" The twins squealed as they tackled his legs.

Michonne laughed looked at the scene as Daryl hoisted a child up on each shoulder.

"Hey 'lil ass kicker. How's the man slayer doing?" Daryl said referring to Judith and Maggie.

Rick mentally shook his head at Daryl's nicknames for his children.

"What brings you out this way?" Rick said looking over at Daryl wrestling with the boys.

"I was out hunt'n, and looked up and I was close by."

"It's good to see you, how's Sasha doing?" Michonne asked.

"She's good. She finally found a way to keep busy."

"With a man like you she has to." Michonne said smiling.

"We warned her." Rick said looking at Daryl.

"So did I." Daryl said now tickling the squirming boys. "But the heart wants what the heart wants I guess."

Both Rick and Michonne laugh at Daryl.

"I don't recall you backing off." Rick said.

Daryl looked at Rick with the hint of a smile on his face and Daryl shook his head.

"I did try though." Daryl said quietly.

Rick and Michonne laughed again.

"What's for dinner Michonne?" Daryl asked.

"Something good. You are staying the night right?"

"I can, I ain't due back until tomorrow."

She saw the look on his face change and wondered what that was about.

"Daryl can you take the boys home, we'll pick up our picnic and be there in a sec."

"Sure. Come on 'lil dudes."

Michonne squatted down and looked at Rick.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"Waiting for the other shoe to drop?"

"Yeah." He said kissing baby Maggie's head.

"Me too." She said.

Michonne slowly opened her eyes, and knew the only real part of what she just lived in her sleep was her husband, Judith, Carl and Daryl. She sat up and wrapped her arms around her drawn up legs. His hand gently caressed her bare back sending a pleasant thrill through her body.

"Did you have that dream again?" He asked with a sleepy voice.

She was not expecting Rick to be awake, but knew he would be, because she was. She turned to look at him.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Because every time you do, you curl up in a ball up against me and it wakes me up every time."

"I'm sorry." She said trying to shake the dream from her mind.

"Don't apologize for that, it alerts me that something is wrong, but every time you wake up from that particular dream, it brings you down. Why?"

"Because it's obvious how I want things to be, and they aren't, and because we have children of our own. Twin boys and a girl."

Rick sat up and leaned back against the headboard.

"You wanna tell me about them?"

Michonne turned toward him and wrapped her arms around her legs again.

"The boys, Rick Jr. and Andrew, 5 years old, and 6-month-old Maggie who has your eyes. The boys are bookends. They look like you and even have your swagger."

"I have a swagger?"

She smiled and turned to look at him.

"Yes, you do. It's one of your most attractive attributes."

He squinted and turned his head away and then looked back at her. It had always been difficult for him to accept compliments of any kind. It always seemed to pull attention from the subject at hand. He pulled on her arm to get her to move closer so he could put his arms around her. She lay her head on his chest and felt the soft rhythm of his heart beating.

"What were we all doing in your dream?"

"We were having a picnic in the 'Deanna Monroe Park.' You and the boys were playing soccer with Judith, and the baby was sleeping beside me. Daryl showed up after a hunting trip. He lived at different community with Sasha."

"With, with Sasha?"

Michonne nodded.

"Interesting. It sounds like a beautiful dream."

"It was. Everyone was safe and happy, and Negan was dead."

"How did he die?" He said looking at her curiously.

"Heart attack."

"Of course." Rick said scoffing. "I have my own thoughts on how he should be put down."

"So do I." She said flatly.

"Even in the dream you weren't totally convinced of the euphoria."

"Are you surprised? That was even missing in the old world."

"True."

"I really like your dream. I can almost picture it. Some day we may get close to it, but 3 children?"

She gave him a questioning look.

"You want to have 3 children." He said with wide eyes.

"I'll have to, they were in the dream.

He laughed and kissed her forehead.

"If that's what you want, I'm all for it. So whenever you're ready, but I highly doubt you'll have twins."

"Why not, you can't handle that?"

"I can handle whatever you can."

Their eyes met and knew exactly what the other was thinking. All that they had been through; yes, they could handle anything, alone or apart.

"Yeah." He said finally looking very confident. "Twins will be a piece of cake."


	2. BD Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"What else was in your dream?" Rick asked scooting down to lie on his back.

"We had a fight."

"You didn't beat me down in front of the kids did you?"

She smirked and then smiled recalling that night.

"No, not that. We had an argument. It was something that I never thought would surface."

"You're holding back on me now?"

"Not really, but it had to do with Carol."

"Carol?"

"I never really trusted her mental stability."

"M-mm." Rick said thinking back.

"I know how you feel about Carol. I'm grateful to her too, but her motives are questionable to me. In my dream, somehow, Judith found out about Lori and Shane, and she asked you about them."

"Dad, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"You won't get mad?"

"I won't get mad Judith. What is it?"

"I was talking to Aunt Carol about love, and she said that sometimes a person can be in love with 2 people at the same time. Is that true?"

"I don't see why not." Rick said suspiciously.

"She said that your best friend Shane was in love with my birth mother."

Rick got angry, but remembered he told his daughter he wouldn't get mad, but everything he had been through protecting her and how he felt about her, seemed a futile effort if she felt differently about him once she knew the truth about her questionable paternity.

"Sweetheart, I'll answer that for you, but I need to talk to your mom about something I've been putting off, could you get her for me please?" Rick was fighting the urge to scream and cry at the same time.

"Sure Dad." The now 12-year-old hurried upstairs to get Michonne.

A short time later, Michonne came downstairs. Rick was waiting for her at the bottom. She took one look in his face and slowed her decent.

"What's wrong?"

He took her hand and pulled her into the downstairs bedroom and closed the door.

"Carol told Judith that Shane had been in love with Lori."

"Why would Carol do that?" Michonne asked angrily.

"She must have had a reason."

"What reason could she have for telling a 12-year-old something like that?"

"Michonne."

"Stop Rick, just stop."

She suddenly made him nervous, and he looked down at the ground holding in what he wanted to say.

"You always defend Carol. I know she saved your life, mine, the kids, and most of Alexandria. We're all grateful, but she's always saying one thing, doing the opposite, and doing things without talking to anyone about it."

"I owe her."

"Why, because you feel guilty?"

He looked at her which answered her question. Yes he felt guilty.

"Rick she killed 2 people."

"That would have ended up…"

"No Rick, people were already infected."

"Do you think she killed them just to kill?" He said raising his voice.

"No, I don't." Michonne said calmly. "But I'm saying that she did that without bringing her concern to anyone."

"What if Judith had have been sick or Carl?"

"You think she would have killed them?"

Michonne swallowed hard and looked him in the eyes. They never lied to each other no matter how difficult what had to be said.

"Yes, I do." Michonne said harshly. She had to resist the urge to look away from his hurt expression.

He was so angry he chewed on his bottom lip.

"I brought that up to her when I sent her away. I told her I didn't want her around Judith and Carl."

"She's damaged Rick. You told me about her husband. He terrorized her. You and I both know that no body walks away from that clean. Her PTSD is worse than yours by years."

"What do I do?"

"Stop giving Carol so much leverage over you, and tell Judith the truth. If you can avoid telling her that Shane might be her father, avoid it."

He looked at the ground again and nodded.

"I have to avoid it. I put too much into her to have all that swept away by one conversation."

"You always made sure she was safe and loved."

"So did you."

"I'm her father Michonne, even if I'm not."

"You are, and she loves you. You're the only father she has, the only one she's ever known."

He nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"You need to talk to Carol too. Tell her to stop stirring up a can of worms."

He looked into her eyes again. His silence and his eyes always told her everything he was thinking.

"If you don't Rick, I will. She's messing with my daughter."

"Okay." He said practically under his breath.

Rick and Michonne walked out of the bedroom.

"Judith!" Rick called upstairs.

"Yeah Dad."

"Come down here please."

"Do you want me to stay here with you?" Michonne asked.

"Yes, please." He said squeezing her hand.

"Sit down on the couch Judith."

Rick looked at her and noticed how much she looked like her mother. Her hair was light brown and curly like his, but her eyes were brown, like Lori's and like Shane's.

Michonne sat down next to her and Rick stood opposite them.

"Judy, what Carol told you was true. Remember when I told you the world was different for Carl?"

Judith nodded.

"When it all started, I was shot in the line of duty and was in a coma in the hospital. My best friend Shane was also my partner. When the outbreak happened, he tried to get me out of the hospital, but he thought I was dead. He took your mother and Carl to safety."

"Because of the walkers?"

"Yes. When I woke up, I was alone. No one was in the hospital. I found my way to our old house, and met Morgan. He helped me, and then Maggie's husband Glenn helped me too, and I found your mother and Carl again. During that time, your mother and Shane became friends."

Rick looked at Michonne and she saw that he was drowning.

"At that time, it was hard to be alone, and your mother needed Shane. He could protect her and Carl."

"They fell in love?"

"Yes they did." Rick said looking as if he would be sick. "Your mother thought I was dead."

"That must have sucked for Shane when you found them." Judith said bluntly.

Rick scoffed turning away at the understatement.

"Shane had to respect the fact that your parents were still married."

"Did you and Shane stay friends after that?"

"We did, but life was hard then. We stayed on Maggie's father's farm. Shane and I disagreed over leadership, and other things. He thought I was too soft and wouldn't survive."

"Were you there Mom?"

"No baby, I wasn't. I didn't meet your dad until after your mother died."

"Okay Dad. I know this was hard for you to talk about. Mom told me about your journey to Alexandria. Thank you for telling me about my mother."

She stood up and walked over to her father.

"Clearly Shane was wrong about you because you're still here."

Rick smiled sadly at Judith and reached up and gently squeezed one of her earlobes.

"I love you Daddy."

"I love you too baby."

Judith reached up and wiped the tears from her father's cheeks.

"Judy, come here baby." Michonne said looking at Rick. "Your dad needs a little time alone."

Rick had already started up the stairs to their room. He closed the door and sat down on the bed and cried. He missed Shane, the way he was before the outbreak. He believed him when he said he hadn't looked at Lori before they thought he was dead. He didn't blame Lori for falling in love with Shane, but he did believe she loved Shane more than she loved him.

Michonne came up and sat with him. She put her arms around him and let him cry. She knew he kept that pain inside a long time. Whenever they would talk about that time it was always brief, and Rick would brush over it, leaving out how he really felt, until now. It hurt him deeply.

"All that was in your dream?"

"There's more. I've been having this dream for a while now." She said looking in his eyes. "How do you feel about it?"

"About how you said, but I don't want to have that conversation with Judith."

"I don't blame you."

"Do you think Carol would actually tell that to Judith?"

"Actually I don't, but I wouldn't put it past her or be surprised if she did."

Rick nodded.

"I understand what your dream showed you about my feeling guilty for kicking Carol out of the prison. I know I shouldn't. Looking back, I think she was wrong for be so hasty. She should have talked to the counsel instead of taking that matter into her own hands."

Michonne looked at him and smiled.

"What?"

"You can teach and old dog new tricks." 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"I'm not ah, real old, am I?"

"Not terribly." She said smiling sweetly. "You still make my toes curl."

"That's what I live for." He said smiling back. "I want to hear more of your dream. You're better than books on tape and cozier."

"Hold on just a sec."

Michonne hopped out of bed, grabbed her robe and ran out of the room and down the stairs. When she came back up, she tossed Rick an apple.

"All this talking makes me hungry, and its 4 a.m."

"I know." Rick said biting into the apple. "Keep talking Doc."

Michonne froze in place and looked at Rick.

"Is this helping you?"

"I think it is." He said smiling embarrassingly.

She nodded as tears filled her eyes and she climbed back into bed.

She cleared her throat and started. This part of her dream was particularly difficult because it was about Carl.

"Carl had been at the Hilltop for a while, and he came home for a visit. The two of you were distant, and had been since he left." She wiped her eyes and sniffed. "Before he left, the two of you barely talked about it. You didn't want him to go, but you didn't know how to get him to stay. Carl had always been with you, but it was time he found out who he was."

"Hey Dad."

Rick smiled as he walked down the stairs to see his son home.

"What a nice surprise. How are you?" Rick said hugging Carl.

"Good. I wanted to come see everyone. Where are the boys and Judith?"

"In school." Michonne said going into the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, but I want to talk to Dad first."

"Oh? What about?"

"I've had a few things on my mind and I can't shake them."

"I'll leave you two alone." Michonne said heading upstairs.

"No, this involves you too Michonne." Carl said sitting down at the dining room table.

Rick looked at Michonne and the two of them joined him.

"Anything wrong?" Rick said sitting down.

"I've had some questions about what happened at the prison and why we left. I know the governor attacked us, but all I remember is fighting back, and then you finding me and we left."

Rick looked at Michonne and then back at Carl.

"You don't remember?" Michonne asked sitting forward in the chair.

"I do, but there are pieces missing."

Rick had that fear since Carl had his eye shot out. Maybe this was some delayed reaction to the trauma.

Rick cleared his throat and looked down at his hands.

"The governor rolled up to the prison with a tank. He had captured Hershel and Michonne while they were out past the fence. We all saw what he did to Hershel, and I went out there. We got in a fight…"

"And the governor nearly killed your dad." Michonne finished for Rick. "You were angry at your dad at that time. You thought he should have been more like the governor, and people wouldn't have died, but that's not who he is. You felt your father should have killed the governor when he had a chance to."

"You did son, but I understand how you felt. The truth is, I never wanted to be the leader. I'm a family man. I just wanted to take care of you and your mother, but Shane made that impossible. This world takes a certain type of person to live in it. You can be either too soft or too hard. Both of those types can't survive. The soft people are too weak and cling to what was and it clouds their thinking and the horrors of this world are too much for them, and the ones that are too hard, they're just stupid. They have delusions and see themselves dictating over everyone. The governor and Negan were like that. They attack the weak to enslave them, and seek to destroy anyone who could possible oppose them."

"Like you." Carl said clasping his hands together in front of him.

"Yeah. Michonne said the governor attacked a National Guard post and killed everyone and took their artillery. He blew up the prison with the tank and broke the fences and the walls."

"How did it make you feel having two kids you had to protect?"

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Do you regret having us?"

"Do you think I could have done better without you? Do you think we'd still have the prison if you and your sister were never born?"

"Dad I heard what you said to Daryl when those men Daryl had been with attacked us on the road…"

"That I stay alive for you, and would do anything for you?" Rick frowned as he looked at his son, but Carl was a different and special person, forged in the fire of an apocalypse. There had been no time to instill certain values in him, so his questions were reasonable and valid.

"From the moment I woke up in the hospital, things changed very quickly for me. I had to learn things that didn't make sense to me, but I did it for you. You're my son and I love you more than I love myself, because it's my job to care for you, and it's a job that's never been a job to me, it has been a privilege. I wanted you before you were born Carl, and I'm sorry for everything you've missed out on, the childhood that you were robbed of, and what you've had to put up with just because you're my son." Rick stood up to stop from sobbing all over the table. He decided to leave and went out to the porch. He put his hands on the rail looking out at nothing. He quietly cried for Carl's destroyed childhood, and for whatever damage he'd done to him because his father was Rick Grimes.

"Dad?" Carl said standing next to him. Carl was crying too.

Rick put his arms around his son.

"I'm sorry too Dad. I'm not angry, and I don't blame you." Carl stepped back. "Being on my own I can see now some of what you had to go through. It couldn't have been easy being you, the decisions you've had to make. You did what you did to keep everyone safe, and I could see how I only made it harder for you when I blamed you for not being a harder person. If you had been harder, you wouldn't have been my dad. I'm sorry Dad. I really just wanted to see from your point of view. From my point of view, I couldn't have asked for a better father. In my eyes, you are the same Dad who used to pick me up from school in the squad car. All my friends were jealous."

Rick smiled sadly through his tears.

"You are who you had to become. You didn't change from one man into a completely different one. You added what you needed to, and my Dad is still there." Carl pointed a finger at his father's chest. "You didn't turn into a badass, you've always been a badass."

Rick tried in vain not to cry anymore. He smiled and hugged his son again.

"I'll take that. Thank you son."

Michonne stood in the opened doorway with tears streaming down her face. Rick glanced over at her and held out an arm for her to join them.

Rick sat in the bed leaning forward looking down at the bed covers.

"Your dream showed you that?" He said still looking down.

"Yeah. I believe it, don't you?"

"I want to." Rick said getting up. "I'm going to take a shower and go out for a while."

Michonne knew Rick was upset. Maybe telling him about her dream wasn't such a good idea. She heard the water in the shower and shower door close. She got up and went into the bathroom. She opened the shower door.

"Rick?"

He was standing under the showerhead letting the warm water fall on his head. He turned to her and smiled running a hand over his head to push his hair back. She half expected him to be sobbing, but he wasn't. He took a step and grabbed her arm pulling her in with him.

"I was hoping you would join me."

"You could have asked me to."

"Where's the spontaneity in that?"

She smiled at him and looking in his eyes saw something new.

"Thank you for your dream." He said claiming her lips with his own.

"You know there's more, right?" She said between kisses.

"Good thing we're taking a break then." He said as he slowly backed her against the shower wall.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Rick and Michonne decided to take a break from exploring her dream and went for a walk. Rick pushed Judith in her stroller, and Michonne walked beside him with a hand on top of his.

"It's a nice day today." He said looking at Michonne.

"It really is, but I think it's going to rain later."

Looking in his eyes, what she saw in his eyes last night was still there, something new that wasn't there before.

"Yeah, I think you're right."

Judith started to get fussy and they stopped and Rick took her out of the stroller. He carried Judith while Michonne pushed the empty stroller.

"This is nice Michonne."

"What?"

"Us, taking this walk, you and me, our family, our kids. That dream of yours means everything to me. It drives home the necessity to make sure we end up on top of this mess. We didn't come this far to give up or give in."

Michonne smiled at him, but even more to herself. What she saw there was a gleam that she never saw there before. Obviously, it was hidden by clouds. She never noticed them before because they were there when she met him, but now the difference was staggering. He was becoming what she could only guess was his old self. She was loving it. If she could turn back time, he would be the one, he would always be the one. They would have had a child together, and that child would still be alive. Her lips trembled and she turned away. Rick stopped and looked at her. He put an arm around her and pulled her to him.

"I don't know what it is you're feeling right now, but I know it's big, I can feel it too. You're having that dream for a reason, and it has to be affecting you like it is me."

She looked up at him and inhaled deeply.

"What I'm feeling is in your eyes. All I can do is just imagine that this is what you were like before the outbreak. The darkness I saw in your eyes is gone now. I see hope there now."

"That's how I feel, but there is still something not quite right. A deep ache that I just noticed this morning."

"Maybe something from my dream will help."

The sky grew dark as big billowy clouds jockeyed for position above them.

"We better head back." He said putting Judith back into the stroller. Along with the dark clouds, he got the feeling that this part of Michonne's dream will bring out more than he expected.

They had a quiet dinner alone. Judith was in bed, and Carl would be spending the night in the house next door playing marathon poker with Eugene and Rosita.

Rick and Michonne sat across the table from each other and said very little. Their eyes spoke what words couldn't.

Then the look in his eyes changed slightly and she had to ask.

"What is it?"

"Who's up next in your dream?"

"Your family. Everyone you hold dear."

The rain outside was a comfort to Michonne since she and Rick made new memories for days like this. The two of them got up from the table and sat on the couch. Michonne sat with her back to the arm of the couch with her legs across Rick's lap. Their new practice on rainy days when they're at home is to open all the windows and listen to the rain and enjoy the fresh air.

"That's a lot of people."

"You took us all in."

He took a deep breath and rested his head on the back of the couch.

"There's safety in numbers."

"It's more than that and you know it. It was you. Something inside of you told you to bring us in and call us your family, not just the theory of safety in numbers. You can't cop out of this. I looked at Deanna's tapes. Everyone weighed in on your side. They all said they owed their lives to you." She looked at him and he looked around the room as if to find something else to talk about.

"I know you don't like compliments of any kind, but you've earned them."

"By killing people?"

"Because they were trying to kill us. It was to keep us alive. That's what you said on your tape."

"But look how many died."

"Look how many lived because you cared what happened to them. I told you once we were in a war, and in any war, there are casualties. Carl told me about everyone who left Atlanta with you. In my dream, they were all alive, and so were the ones we lost along the way."

Rick looked down in his lap, not really wanting to go through this.

The gathering was quite special. They all met at Rick and Michonne's. Maggie and Glenn organized everything and getting everyone there at the same time. The gathering was a surprise, so Michonne had Rick spirited away at the brownstone until everything was in place. Maggie settled for having Carl get them home by telling them she was there to visit.

"It'll be good seeing Maggie again." Michonne said taking Rick's arm as they walked up the street.

"Yeah, it's been a while."

As they walked up the steps, everyone got ready and quiet.

"SURPRISE!" They all shouted at once.

The look on rick's face was priceless. He stood there with a red face and his mouth opened. He looked around the room and couldn't believe everyone was there. Some had gone back to live at the other communities spread throughout the expanded safe zone. He had seen them one or two at a time, but all together, never.

"What is this?" He asked.

Maggie pointed him to a seat at the dining room table and for Michonne to sit next to him. As soon as Michonne sat down, Rick took her hand.

"Since you won't tell anyone except Michonne your birthday, and you've sworn her to secrecy, we made one up." Deanna said.

"A birthday really wasn't strong enough of a celebration for a man like you." Reg said standing by Deanna. "You've touched the lives of everyone here that has made a lasting impression that they take to the communities they live in which spreads and lives on."

"I wanted you to live here with us. I knew what kind of man you were. A good man, a solid man who is not afraid to take charge, and do what needs to be done for the good of everyone, and I'm sticking to what I told you about your beard." Deanna walked over and kissed his cheek.

"Maggie thought it would be a good idea if we all said a few words to you." Glenn said holding their son. "You're still a dumbass." Everyone laughed and Rick just smiled. That first day he met Glenn, he surely felt like one. "But if we had it to do all over again, which I'm glad we don't, but if we did, count me in. I'd go with you anytime, anywhere."

Tyreese stood up from where he was seated on the couch.

"I know our first meeting wasn't the best, but you made up for it in a big way. You're a good man Rick with a big heart, and I'll never forget you." He sat back down and Judith naturally wanted to sit next to him.

"You made one hell of a farmer." They all laughed again. "I'm grateful to you Rick for taking care of me and my daughters, at a great cost to yourself. You once got on me for losing faith. You were able to say that because you had more faith than anyone I've ever known. How else could you have survived, and manage to keep other alive as well. I'm glad you found love again. Michonne looks good on you." Rick smiled at Hershel. He had been like a father to him.

"I see you found that place, and you didn't let go of everything that made you who you are. I told you this would happen, not quite D.C., but this will do nicely." Bob gave Rick a thumbs up and sat down.

"I was wrong. You were the man to survive. I really didn't think you had it in you, but you did. I'm sorry brother." Rick heard the voice before he saw Shane. He stood a distance away and did not come closer.

"You've done well Rick. I realize some things had to be done to preserve life. You knew that even if it was hard for you. There has always been good in you, I've always known it." Dale smiled at Rick and sat down next to Andrea. Andrea stood and walked forward smiling at Rick and Michonne.

"I'm glad you two found each other. Both of you are strong and loving. You've done well. Happy birthday Rick."

Beth walked up and kissed Rick on the cheek.

"Thank you for coming to get me. I knew you would." She said smiling.

Lori walked up to the table and looked and Michonne and then Rick.

"I'm happy for you, and I want to tell you that I'm sorry, and I forgive you, even though you did nothing wrong. You have nothing to feel guilty about. I was the one with the problem." She looked at Rick a long time before walking back to her seat near the window.

Rick stopped Michonne and turned his head to look out the window on his left. This dream hit him hard, and he was not prepared for it. All the people who had a certain amount of influence on him. He turned his head back, but looked straight forward. He fought back tears and shook his head. He couldn't speak. His body started to shake, and he looked at Michonne with his eyes full of tears. She swung her legs off his lap and he went to the floor on his knees and put his arm on the seat cushion and cried into his arm. Michonne knelt down beside him. He sobbed so hard it sounded like he was in severe pain. Over 2 years of sorrow and loss came pouring out of him. Over 10 people he cared for and considered family all dead within 2 years. She was glad this was happening. It had not been her intent, but this was good for his PTSD. He could start to heal from this.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He said over and over.

To Michonne it seemed that he felt he owed everyone an apology. He was so guilt-ridden and racked with the pain of it, that Michonne cried too.

"They don't blame baby, they don't blame you." She said resting her head on his and rubbing his back.

He stopped saying he was sorry, turned to Michonne and he put his arms around her and continued to cry. He stopped crying after a while and sat there with Michonne in his arms. He lay his head against hers and whispered that he loved her.

"Thank you sweetheart." He said kissing her forehead. "I miss them all very much. I've tried to put it out of my mind, but they are all in my heart. When they died, I felt bad, buried them and moved on. What I needed was to deal with their deaths." He inhaled and when he exhaled, his breath trembled. "We've been through a lot you and I, haven't we?"

"Yes we have. Together."

"Yes, together. You've always been there, and I'm grateful to you for that. Even now, you walked with me through this." He got up and sat on the couch pulling Michonne up with him. "I remember crying when my grandfather died, and Lori told me to stop crying, that it showed weakness."

"It shows great strength for a man to be able to cry, and you're the strongest man I've ever met."

"Thank you." He said smiling sadly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was just dawn and for the second morning in a row, Rick was not there beside her. She threw on the first thing she saw which was one of Rick's shirts and went downstairs. Judith was still asleep and Carl was next door. She went downstairs and found him sitting in the overstuffed chair in his pajamas, reading a book.

"How long have you been up?" She asked rubbing her eyes.

"Hey."

She walked over and sat on the arm of the chair and slid down to the seat right next to him. He rubbed her leg with his hand, and kissed her good morning. The chair was wide enough for two with a matching ottoman. She leaned her head on his shoulder and glanced down at the book of poetry in his hand.

"I've been up for about 2 hours."

"You okay?"

"I'm much better than okay."

"You would have to be to be reading poetry."

"I used to read poetry all the time."

"You woke up just to read some?"

"No. I woke up because this is the first time in a long time I've felt free."

She looked up into his eyes and smiled.

"I can see that."

"I know there's still some things I need to work out, but an enormous weight has been lifted off my back."

Michonne cozied down and put her head back on his shoulder.

"You said we were next in your dream." He said closing the book.

"You ready to go through that?"

"That bad huh?"

She laughed.

"It's the best part of the dream, only it's not a dream."

"M-mm." He said smiling at her. "How far back does it go?"

"To the day we met, well, actually before that."

"How could it if we hadn't met yet?"

"I spent an entire winter listening to Andrea talk about Atlanta, Hershel's farm and your group. She told me about you."

"What did you think?" He said shyly.

"She down played you a bit. She mentioned Shane a lot, and it sounded like she preferred his leadership over yours, but I didn't see it that way. Shane seemed to me to be dangerous, and come to think of it, that must be why she liked the governor so much, but she did help me see that I needed to be around people again."

"So, what did Rick do before?"

"He was a deputy sheriff, so was Shane, they were partners. Rick's a good man, but he's not on top of it the way Shane is." Andrea said as they walked.

"How so?"

"He's too nice. I don't think he'll last long out here, and besides, he has that wife of his, she's a piece of work, his son Carl, and they have a baby on the way."

Michonne looked off in the distance and preferred this Rick guy. He seemed to be the better man. Shane sounded like a hot head. Frankly, he sounded stupid, but she could tell who Andrea preferred, so she left her opinion to herself.

After separating herself from Andrea and her boyfriend the governor, she found herself in a bad situation. She had been shot and was losing blood and needed water. She found a couple she was going to ask for help when she saw that Merle had seen them first. The same guy who shot her. He took them away, but not before she heard them talk about a prison, and they dropped a basket full of baby formula on the ground. She grabbed the formula and headed in the direction of the prison. If that's where they were taking the formula, it was obviously needed there.

The prison had walkers in the yard, but fortunately for her, she still had walker guts on her from earlier, and was invisible to them. To her surprise, live people were living there. Limping, she slowly made her way up to the fence.

She saw someone walking toward the fence. He saw her, and walked down toward the fence. He looked at her with a piercing glare that made her heart hurt. Their eyes locked and she grabbed the fence, her eyes pleading with his. At first she thought he was wondering if he was seeing things, but no, he saw her.

Suddenly, a walker turned to her and started snarling. She drew a sword from its scabbard on her back. The walkers started toward her to attack her. She cut through them with expert skill, but she was weak from blood loss and could not take them all on. She heard a young boy ask if they should help her, right before she passed out.

She felt cool water on her chest and she came to. A man with blue eyes was bent over her asking her who she was. She had stopped trusting people long ago, and those blue eyes that she felt she knew, would not change that in her. It would take more.

He was threatening to her in a way that was different. It wasn't from evil intentions, but a concern for his people, his family.

Rick sat quietly looking at Michonne. Listening to her talk about the dream, he saw the beginning of what they have now was. She had been there all this time.

"I believe I started to fall in love with you then. I denied it of course, but that didn't make it not true."

"What about me made you fall in love with me? I was a little less than sane then."

"Not knowing you before the outbreak, I had to wonder what you were like before, but when I found out you were the man Andrea told me about, I could see what you might have been like. I wanted to find out for myself. I saw that you loved your children, and cared for the people you considered your family. I saw in you a great capacity to love. That was something I buried in myself. It hurt too much to remember it. Slowly, over time, I allowed myself to feel again. To see in you a man I could love. I fell in love with that man Andrea referred to as 'too nice.' The one whose eyes I looked into that day through that fence. I saw you Rick, and just being near you was enough for me then."

He looked away, taken by what she just said.

"You and I were a pair of wounded animals. That's when an animal is most dangerous, when it's wounded. I saw us in your eyes. It confused me. I don't believe in love at first sight, so I focused on other things about you."

"What things?" She said curiously.

"Your impeccable instincts, skill, combat readiness. You were right, I needed you"

"You did." She agreed. "Was that it?"

He smiled at her.

"No." He said looking deep into her eyes. "I thought you were beautiful. Your eyes talked to me, and I could comprehend without words, and _yobytwntqut_."

"What was that last part?" She said frowning. He swallowed the end of the sentence, and it sounded like gibberish to her.

"You have a body that won't quit." He said turning red as he looked into her eyes.

A tiny smile formed on her lips.

"You thought I didn't notice you looking at me?"

"I was kinda hoping I wasn't too obvious."

"You were, but I liked it."

"Did it ever cross your mind to pursue your feelings for me?"

"No. You weren't ready, and there was too much going on."

"Like you going out looking for the governor."

The look on his face turned sour and his tone changed

"If it bothered you so much, why didn't you stop me?" Michonne said a bit agitated.

"Could I have stopped you?" He said looking directly at her.

He abruptly got up and went to the bedroom that used to be hers. He came back holding the locks of her hair the saviors stuck to a walker. They hadn't properly addressed her leaving with Glenn and Rosita to go after Daryl without letting him know.

The posture he took was all too familiar. He was now speaking from a place of hurt and anger.

"When the saviors were herding us, I found these stuck on a walkers head. They had several walkers chained across the road. It was also wearing your vest." He looked down at the locks rubbing them beneath his thumb, and recalling his despair in that moment. "This can't happen again." He said holding up the locks. "Going forward, when we set foot out of that wall out there, we go together."

He paused to control his temper and the thick emotion in his voice.

"Do you understand me Michonne?" He was clearly upset. "You're not living that life anymore. You can't just leave on a hunch or because you're needed. Not alone, and not without me."

She watched in shock as he quickly went up the stairs and slammed their bedroom door. She jumped up from the chair and headed upstairs. Halfway up, she heard his bare feet padding on the wooden floor toward her. They both stopped and he looked at her with regret. Her eyes were draw to the subtle shaking of his right hand. He quickly grabbed it with his left.

"I'm sorry." He said.

She continued up the stairs and walked with him to their room.

"Why is your hand shaking? That's new."

"No, it's always been there. That's me too." He walked over to the window and looked out. "The first time I noticed it, was after Glenn got me out of that tank, and I was up on a department store roof watching Merle being himself. I handcuffed him to the roof of that building, and let him know where I was coming from. I walked away to calm down and noticed my hand shaking. That was me controlling the urge to hurt him, maybe even kill him, I don't know. Just now, I was angry at those saviors for hurting you." He turned around to look at her. "I'm sorry I put demands on you, but I meant what I said. We only go out of those walls together."

"Maybe I needed to hear what you said, but coming from you, I didn't hear demands. I heard, 'Michonne, I love you.'"

He walked over to her, took her face in his hands and kissed her as if it was for the first time.

.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

They would have spent the early part of that morning in bed, but Judith had other plans for her parents. When Carl finally woke up after the poker game, he came home and the four of them had lunch together and spent the rest of the day doing chores around the house, and every now and then stop to listen to Carl relive some of the antics and colorful language Eugene used during the poker game.

The afternoon was a cool one, and Rick stood outside and leaned on the rail really wishing he had the opportunity to explore his life earlier, but like Bob always said, things happen the way they were always meant to. He smiled to himself thinking about how life was so different than it had been last year. He had always been a diehard family man, and this day with his family had been like no other. This is the family he saw in his own dreams. A loving wife with children nurtured by a caring mother. They were all happy, and even though that could change before they took their next breath, he didn't care. It was good right now, and this family would last in his memory for a lifetime, because it was real.

He didn't like to, but he compared this life to his life with Lori before the outbreak. At times she seemed unhappy with him and with her life with him. Nothing he did pleased her. To her, his best never was good enough. He never would forget the look on her face when he told her he killed Shane. _But wasn't that what she wanted?_ Loathing is the only word he could think of to describe that look. Their 12-year marriage broken beyond repair with just one look.

Now, he finally felt like a man in love should feel. His marriage to Lori would not have lasted even without the outbreak. He was happy now. Michonne told him that in her dream Lori apologized, now he was able to forgive her. Hershel told him before he died that he and Lori had talked, and that she was sorry for what she had done. At that time forgiveness was not possible because the seed she had planted in his mind concerning Shane, and hearing Shane quote her exact words right before he killed him, made it easy for him to dislike her. Of course he would always love her because she was the mother of his children, but he was done with her before they took the prison.

Also in her dream, Shane had admitted that he was wrong about Rick. The proof of it was obvious; Shane was the one dead. He had to forgive them, Shane and Lori, so he could move on. There was never the time to think on these things before. Not forgiving weighed much more on his life than forgiving. He would never forget the bad things, but he would no longer bear the guilt of his failed marriage and his lost friend. He smiled sadly to himself. Not a smile of regret, but one of hope going forward.

"I like that smile on your face." Michonne said joining him at the rail.

"It feels good on my face. Did you get done what you wanted to get done?"

"No. I ended up falling asleep stretched out across the bed."

He laughed.

"I'm sorry I kept you up."

"No you're not, but you don't hear me complaining."

"I tell you what. Once we get Judith to bed, why don't we turn in early?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'm going back up to see if I can get something accomplished."

"Hey, have we finished your dream?"

"There's one little bit left."

He nodded.

"I'm going to go check the wall and see how Negan's haul is coming along."

"Okay."

Rick and Michonne took turns yawning through dinner. Carl looked from one to the other and started laughing and shook his head.

"What?" Rick said trying not to laugh. "Yawning is contagious."

"Obviously, between you two."

"Wait for it." Michonne said smiling at Carl.

No sooner had she said that, Carl yawned and then Judith. They all erupted into laughter.

"I guess it is contagious." Carl said smiling.

Rick was ecstatic to see his son happy. It had been a long time coming, but it seems that although they had been together all along, he should have been closer to him. He was closer to him now, and he made a promise to himself to give Carl more of his father, and less of Rick Grimes.

"I'm tired." Rick said yawning again and climbing into bed.

"We've been up late the last couple of nights." Michonne said settling into Rick's arms. He kissed her neck and shoulders several times before speaking.

"After we came back from Woodbury with Glenn and Maggie, I had mixed feelings about you. You were great in the field, but I didn't trust you, and there was something about you I couldn't put my finger on that infuriated me, so I brought you on the run with me and Carl. I had to find out what it was."

"Did you?"

"I did. I wasn't looking for love or a romantic relationship. What I needed, and what I found in you was a friend, so did Carl."

Rick pulled her onto her back so he could look into her eyes.

"I needed a friend then, someone who understood what I was going through. Someone besides Hershel who would stand up to me and call me on my b.s. You stopped me from completely losing my mind back then. I felt all alone until you showed up at that fence, and you've been with me every day since that time. I can't imagine ever being without you. Your dream showed me those things I kept pushing down. I'm the most blessed man there ever has been because I have you."

They both reached up to wipe the tears from the other's face and he kissed her.

"I love you and I know you love me, and you're afraid, so am I." Rick said looking directly into her eyes. "I thought Negan was going to kill you to get to me, to break me. Just the thought of that nearly did. He would have had to kill me too, right then. Since I've already had that scare, he won't get that reaction from me again. Over these last few nights talking about your dream, I've gotten stronger and more focused than I've ever been. You've freed me through your dream Michonne."

"He'll still try to break us."

"He can try, but we bend, we don't break. Jesus came by today and said he wants to take us to a new community. It's going to happen. We'll have Negan and his saviors soon enough."

She looked into his eyes and nodded.

"Yes we will. I wonder how many other communities are out there."

"I don't know, but more than just us on our side will help."

He looked down and rubbed her arm.

"I want this to be the last time we talk about Negan here in our bed."

"Okay."

"Every time I think about him all I want to do is kill him. I don't want my thoughts of him mixed in with you here."

Michonne was proud of Rick and how he sounded now. Confidence, not arrogance pushes him forward.

"I'm yours Michonne, and the only fear I have is that you'll stop loving me. Everything else can be managed or handled. I'm prepared to lose everything but you because at the end of it all, we will only have each other. Our kids will grow up and have lives and loves of their own. The love we have is strong and Negan doesn't exist in here. We gain strength from each other in here, so that when we go out there and have to deal with him we are strong, together. He can't stop me from loving you. No matter what he does."

He kissed her and nearly forgot he had more to say. He slowly broke the kiss and looked into her eyes.

"I wish I had something to give you like the dream you gave me. That dream was everything."

"You have given me something."

He frowned and looked at her, and it made her smile.

"You."

She sat up and turned to him and he rolled over onto his back.

"After the prison fell and I found you and Carl in that abandoned house. You trusted me with Carl's well-being, your son. You gave me back a portion of what I had lost from the loss of my own child. When you said Carl needed me; that was the beginning for me, a second chance. The truth is, I needed him. Not my own child, but a child I could love. You helped me feel again, and I thought I would never get that back. That's what I needed, that's what I wanted, and you gave it to me, and you added a bonus, Judith." She said looking at him through eyes full of love for him.

He looked in those eyes of hers with a heart so full he thought it would burst.

"What were the names of our kids again?" He said with a voice full of emotion as he pulled her down to him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Michonne touched Rick's shoulder to wake him. It didn't take much to wake him even after things had settled down a bit in Alexandria.

"You okay?" He said with his usual gravelly morning voice.

"Yeah, wake up. We need to finish the dream today."

He looked over at the clock and noticed it was 4 a.m.

"Do you know what time it is?"

"Early. I just finished the dream."

He looked at her and sat up. She looked concerned and a bit agitated.

"Okay, but you're not okay. What's wrong?"

"The dream."

"If you don't feel like telling me about it, it's alright."

"You should hear it. All of it."

"Michonne." He said turning her face toward him.

"It's a good dream, really it is." She said looking into his eyes and smiling sadly. "We fought in several wars and lost a few more friends, but we now have all the surrounding settlements aligned, Alexandria is a growing, thriving community with everything Deanna put in her plans. There are schools, we're farming, making our own ammunition. We have livestock. Judith is 5 years old and in school. You have a lot less to do now because you have delegated some of your responsibilities to others. Babies are being born again."

He smiled now understanding the sadness of her smile. It was a beautiful dream, so beautiful it was heartbreaking.

Michonne came home after her shift on post. Rick was in the kitchen cooking dinner and talking to Judith.

"Hi Mom!" Judith called out and then quickly went back to practicing writing the letter A.

"Hey sweetheart. You too sweetheart." She said to Rick and kissed him on the cheek.

"How'd it go today?" He asked laying plates on the table.

"It was okay." She said dropping everything on the floor near the coat rack.

"You look tired."

"I am. I'm going to lay down for quick cat nap."

"Okay. Should we wait for you?"

"No, go ahead."

She lay down and was out within a matter of seconds.

"Michonne." Rick said shaking her shoulder.

She opened her eyes and looked around to notice the room was practically dark.

"How long was I out?"

"Two hours. Are you okay?"

"I just feel run down. Maybe I'm catching something."

Rick frowned remembering the last time someone caught something.

"Why don't you go see Lisa tomorrow, just to make sure it's nothing serious."

"Okay. Where's Judith?"

"Waiting for you to read to her."

"Oh!" Michonne jumped up. She never missed a reading session with their daughter.

The next morning she went to see the person Dr. Carson trained to take care of the people in Alexandria. After listening to Rick's concern about catching a cold, or the flu, it was her concern as well. The appointment was quick, there was no sign of flu, but the pregnancy test was positive. She was numb for an instance, and then quickly elated. She didn't think it was possible, but it was true, finally. A baby of their own.

After her appointment, she went to her shift on the wall. All shifts had been cut down to 4 hours, and even though they had expanded the wall, and there were more communities and no immediate threats, Rick still felt it prudent to have a watch on post.

She stood up there and thought about the baby growing inside her. She wanted to tell Rick right away and stay home with him, but it was just a 4 hour shift.

After her shift she nearly ran home. She paused at the door to take a deep breath, then she opened the door and walked in. Even though it was her turn to cook, Rick was in the kitchen again, but this time Judith was helping.

"Hey Mom!"

"Hey!"

"Did you see the doctor today?" Rick asked stirring something in a pot that smelled particularly good.

"Yes." She said grabbing a carrot. "I'm not sick."

"Good. I was thinking about that sickness at the prison."

"I know." She said leaning on the wall watching him at the stove. "Rick."

"We lost a lot of people." He said lifting a spoon to taste what he was cooking.

"Rick."

"Yeah." He said finally looking up at her.

"I'm pregnant." She said looking directly into his eyes.

He stopped what he was doing and looked at her, not sure if he should smile or not.

"You're pregnant?" He started walking toward her when she nodded with a slight smile. "You want to?" He asked putting his hands on top of her shoulders.

"Well it's too late if I don't." She said smiling. "This is the right time."

He let out the breath he was holding and hugged her.

"Congratulations." He said smiling.

"Same to you. I'll need to go to Hilltop and let Dr. Carson have a look."

"When?"

"Lisa thinks as soon as possible."

"Anything wrong?"

"No. Just to verify how far along I am. Where I think I am doesn't match the measurements of my abdomen."

Rick squinted putting his hand on her stomach.

"You didn't get that did you?" Michonne said tilting her head to the side.

He shook his head smiling.

"Big baby?" He said guessing.

The smile slowly disappeared from his face.

"I'm extremely happy about this. This is the right time."

Rick could hardly sleep that night. He stood in front of the window looking out, but he did not see the view. He was like that before Carl was born. There are many things that could go wrong, but the main problem in Rick's eyes was that there is still the issue of everyone being infected.

"Come to bed Rick."

He lay back down and took her in his arms.

"What's wrong?" She said turning to look at him.

"The normal stuff."

"Care to elaborate?"

He didn't answer.

"Rick. Having a child has never been easy, especially before modern medicine. I know what you're worried about. I'm not worried."

"But it could happen."

"And the earth could open up right beneath us and swallow Alexandria. Low probability in both cases."

He nodded his head.

"Did you always want to be a father?" She said feeling the need to change the subject.

He nodded and touched her stomach with his hand.

"Yes, always. When I was about 12, I told my father I wanted 2 sons just like he had. He told me to at least wait until I was married."

"I think I would have liked your father."

"I think you would have. He would have liked you too."

Michonne gave him a curious look.

"I know what you're thinking, but that man raised me to see the person inside, and not the color of a person's skin, and if he would have balked at my relationship with you, I would have called him on it."

Michonne nodded and smiled. She knew he would not have buckled under pressure from anyone.

"Were you and Lori planning on having another child?"

"We talked about it, but I don't think she was too anxious. You women are kinda particular about your figures."

She smiled.

"I think it was you men who set the standards for that. So how are you going to feel about me when I weigh 3 tons?"

He looked at her with a frowning smile.

"I have a strong feeling that I'll feel the same way I do right now. How are you going to feel about me? I might be the co-dependent type and gain weight just to make you feel better."

They both laughed.

"Did you want to be a mother before you had your son?"

"No. I wanted to be a Supreme Court judge. My career was my priority. Andre was…a pleasant surprise. I was miserable at first, but the first time I felt him move inside me, I was in love."

"I was the same way the first time I felt Carl move. They can make such a difference in your life."

"Yes they can. That's what you focus on, not on what could go wrong because plenty goes wrong all the time."

He nodded again and slid down in the bed.

"As usual you've succeeded in making me feel better. We'd better get some sleep for the trip to Hilltop."

"I was getting sleep. I should make you stay awake with me."

Before she finished the sentence he was quietly snoring.

She smiled to herself and went ahead and got up to get ready.

Dr. Carson did another blood test to confirm the pregnancy and estimated that Michonne was roughly 3 months pregnant. He got her ready for the ultrasound exam. Rick was nervous and Michonne took his hand. He was shaking and she tried soothing words to calm him down.

"Are you okay?" Dr. Carson asked. "You look a little pale."

"I-I'm fine." Rick said nodding.

Dr. Carson turned the machine on and applied the jelly to Michonne's abdomen.

"Oh my." Dr. Carson said.

"Is there something wrong?" Rick said.

"No, not at all. If you look here and here."

"I don't get it." Rick said. "What are you seeing?"

"Twins." Dr. Carson said smiling.

Rick let go of Michonne's hand and fainted.

She hopped off the table and helped Dr. Carson get Rick into a chair. He used smelling salts on him and he came to. Rick looked around the room as if he didn't know where he was.

"Are you okay?" He said looking up at Michonne.

"I'm fine, but you fainted."

He put his hand to his head and shook his head.

"Twins!" He said again looking at Dr. Carson. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure, yes." He motioned for Michonne to get back on the table.

"I'll want to look again and get a picture for you,"

"Okay." Michonne said looking at Rick still sitting in the chair.

When the doctor pulled up the picture again, Rick stood and took Michonne's hand again. She watched as a smile formed on Rick's face.

"Twins." He said again, but this time not out of shock. He bent down and whispered in Michonne's ear. "Good job Mom."

She laughed and he kissed her.

"You'll need to take extra care since you're having twins. If you feel anything unusual, come in right away, and the last 3 months I'd like you to stay here at the Hilltop so you're close by. Twins have a habit of coming early."

"Alright Harlan, thank you." Rick said seriously. "I have a question. Does she need to take it easy?"

"That depends on you Michonne. Since this is not your first child, and you are in excellent shape, how much you do is your call."

She nodded and looked at Rick who looked away shaking his head. They were not going to agree on this.

Michonne's pregnancy went smoothly. Once a month she would go see Dr. Carson, and took care of herself as she usually did. She was being closely watched by Rick and Judith, who Rick coerced into being on his side where Michonne's health was concerned.

Exactly 3 months prior to her due date, Rick was up early and brought a bag up to their room. He opened the dresser drawers and started packing some of Michonne's things in it.

"Good morning." She said sitting up with some effort.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. What are you doing?"

"Taking you to the Hilltop."

"It's that time already?" She said smiling.

"This may be a piece of cake for you, but I'm nervous."

"I know. We'll be fine. They're moving around well, you've felt them, but they're running out of room."

"Take it easy on your mom babies." Rick said to Michonne's stomach and kissed it twice. One for each child.

When they arrived at the Hilltop, Dr. Carson performed another ultrasound. Rick was there beside her as usual, and looked at the babies and could now see heads, arms and legs and…

"What's that?" Rick said pointing at the screen.

"A penis." Dr. Carson said moving the wand around Michonne's abdomen. "There's the other one." He said smiling.

"Both of them are males?" Rick said smiling as well.

"Poor Judith." Michonne said smiling.

Michonne's smile disappeared and turned into a frown.

"You okay?" Rick asked.

"I'm pretty sure I just had a contraction."

Dr. Carson sent Michonne to Barrington House with orders to get to bed right away. The time between contractions was long, but it was constant. Rick made sure she was comfortable, but actually was becoming a nuisance. The knock that came at the door was a welcome relief, no matter who it was. Rick went to the door and opened it.

"Hey Carl." He said hugging his son.

"I heard you two were here. How are you?" He asked walking over to Michonne. "I'm fine. It won't be long now."

"She's having twins." Rick said seriously. He was past the excitement, and now his concern was for Michonne's well-being.

"Of course. Neither one of you does anything half way."

"How's Enid?" Michonne asked.

"She's good. She'll be by later."

Michonne had another contraction. This one was harder than the others had been.

"Michonne?" Carl said taking her hand.

"That was a good one. It won't be long now." She said again.

"Carl, go get Dr. Carson please." Rick said looking closely at Michonne.

Carl left just as Maggie walked through the door. She took one look at Michonne and went to the bed.

"We need Dr. Carson." She said moving the pillows from behind Michonne's back.

"Carl went to get him."

The contractions came quicker and harder. Rick went to her side and took her hand.

"Leave Rick." Michonne managed to say to Rick.

He looked at her with his jaw set.

"You fainted looking at the ultrasound. I don't want you passed out on the floor. I won't be able to concentrate on what I need to do."

He swallowed hard and kissed her.

"Okay. If that's what you want."

"I do." She said grimacing.

"I think that'll be best." Maggie said, timing the contractions.

Rick nodded feeling totally useless, and walked toward the door. He looked back at Michonne very close to tears.

"You'll thank me later." Michonne said to him.

He stepped out on the second floor foyer and closed the door behind him. Dr. Carson and Carl were just coming up the stairs.

"How is she?" Dr. Carson asked.

"The contractions are coming harder and faster. She kicked me out."

"Good." Dr. Carson said going into the room.

Rick scoffed and walked over to the window overlooking courtyard and entrance to the Hilltop.

"Is she going to be alright Dad?"

"Yeah, but having twins is a little tedious."

Dr. Carson's assistant came running upstairs carrying 2 cases like Dr. Carson had.

"Dad, you wanna go for a walk?"

"No, but I think I should anyway."

He and Carl walked the grounds and Carl showed him various improvements that had been made since he was there last, but finally stopped talking when he saw his father wasn't listening.

"You know how Michonne is Dad. She's got this handled."

"I know, but…"

"Let's go back inside." Carl said taking note of his father's anxiety.

Suddenly from where they stood, they heard a blood curdling scream from Michonne. Rick and Carl took off at a run. When they got to the top of the stairs, Maggie was waiting for them.

"She's alright. That was the first baby."

"I'm going in Maggie."

She knew she wouldn't be able to stop him. She opened the door for him and he went in and walked right over to Michonne. He heard his son crying, but his main concern was Michonne.

"I asked you to leave." She said frowning.

"Actually, you told me to leave, but I'm not leaving your side again."

"You stay on your feet then Grimes." She said gripping his hand tightly.

Dr. Carson and his assistant worked quickly. The second baby was apparently a breech and they had to get him turned around.

Michonne screamed again as the baby came and Rick heard him cry. He smiled at Michonne but she had passed out.

"Harlan, she's out cold." Rick said concerned.

Dr. Carson quickly checked her pulse and listened to her heart.

"She's okay. I need to finish here and then I'll check further."

Rick was nervous and stayed by her side. He would not move, not even to look at the babies.

Maggie came and stood next to him.

"The boys are beautiful."

Rick nodded.

"I'll look on them later. I need to make sure she's okay."

When Dr. Carson finished, he went over to check Michonne's vital signs again. Rick had to bite his tongue in order not to ask questions while the doctor examined her. Dr. Carson looked up at Rick and saw how Rick was boring holes into him.

"She's okay Rick. She did pass out, but I can't tell you when she'll wake up."

"Could she die?" He asked bluntly.

"No Rick. Her blood pressure is good. I know this was childbirth, but it's also a form of trauma to the body. The body will do certain things to protect itself. This appears to be one of them."

Maggie pulled up a chair for Rick and he sat down. He sat with her for hours in the quiet room. The babies were with Maggie and Dr. Carson's assistant.

"I knew you and I would always be together, but I didn't know that there would ever be the right time for us to have children. I heard both of them cry. Maggie says they're beautiful. I had no doubt they would be. You're the most beautiful person I've ever met. I'll gladly say it again, you make me feel like I've always wanted to feel…"

"Like a man capable of satisfying a woman beyond anything she's ever known before?"

He looked down into her eyes and smiled brightly, grateful she woke up.

"Hey you." He said and kissed her forehead. "You feel okay?"

"Pretty good. How are our sons?"

"I don't know. They're with Maggie. I wanted to wait for you. You were out for about 6 hours."

She sat up and put her arms around him.

Dr. Carson peeked in and saw Michonne was awake.

"Knock, knock." He said walking in. How do you feel?"

"Pretty good." She said yielding to his examination.

"Can we bring them up now?" Maggie said poking her head in the door.

"Yeah, go ahead." Rick said.

"Everything looks good Michonne. You'll need to take it easy for a couple days, but you can get out of bed whenever you feel like it."

She smiled brightly getting real tired of that bed.

"Here we are Mom and Dad." Maggie said coming in with one baby and Carl with the other, and trailing behind them was Judith.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad." Judith said following instructions, to the letter, from Maggie to keep her voice down.

"Hey baby." Rick said bending down to kiss Judith. He then sat down on the bed next to Michonne and reached up to take a baby from Maggie, and Carl gave the other one to Michonne.

"Hello boys." Rick said smiling. They both fought back tears and kissed their babies.

"What are their names?" Judith said sitting on the floor in front of them next to Carl.

"Which one is the oldest?" Michonne asked the assistant.

"The one you're holding."

"This is Richard Jr. and you're holding Andrew James." She said to the baby Rick was holding.

Maggie stood back watching them and started to break down. She quickly left the room. Michonne looked at Rick and he motioned to Carl to hold Andrew.

"Here's your big brother Andy." Rick said handing the baby to Carl. He then stood up and went after Maggie.

He heard her crying down in the hall. He went into the room where she stood in front of the window sobbing almost uncontrollably. Rick went to her and put his arms around her.

"I miss him so much." Maggie said with her head on Rick's chest.

"I know."

She cried for a while and then stopped, but there were clearly more tears needing to come out.

"I'm alright, you go back to your family."

"Maggie, you're my family too. You need me more right now."

He walked her over to the sofa in the room and they sat down together. She leaned on his chest and continued to cry. Rick will always regret what happened to Glenn, but the guilt and blame he felt before was no longer there.

"I'm sorry." Maggie said sitting up finally.

"Why?"

"Because I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself, blubbering and getting snot and tears all over your shirt."

"I've had worse on my shirt."

They both laughed recalling all the blood and walker guts they had on them over the years.

"I miss your dad Maggie. He was the only man who wasn't afraid of me. He considered me and Glenn his sons. I loved them both."

"I know. Dad really liked you. He trusted you which says a lot about you. He trusted you before I did."

"Thank God you finally came around."

She laughed again and it made him smile.

"Are you okay here by yourself, you and the baby?"

"Yeah, I like it here. The people are really nice, and we're not alone, Carl and Enid are here."

Rick nodded and kissed her forehead.

"How have you been doing?"

"Really good. I'm happy."

"Good. You've earned that. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you."

He looked at her confused. As far as he was concerned, they all deserved to be happy.

"You took on what you didn't have to. You made yourself responsible for all of us. I believe you did that because you understand what love really means, and we followed you."

He hugged Maggie again.

"Thank you." He said with tears in his eyes.

"Everything okay?" Michonne said standing in the doorway.

"The better question is how you are?" Rick said getting up and walking over to her.

"I managed to feed the boys and their asleep now. Dr. Carson said we can go home tomorrow."

"So soon?"

She raised her eyebrows and smiled.

At 2 a.m. that morning, the boys were up impatient to be fed. Rick held one and walked around the room while Michonne fed the other.

"How long does breastfeeding last?"

"As long as I feel like doing it."

"How long will that be?"

She looked at him and laughed.

"Do you miss something?"

"Ah yeah." He said laughing too.

"Down tiger. At least 6 weeks."

"I'm sorry for sounding impatient. I'm not, it's just that I can't wait to spend some quality time with you again."

"As soon as they start sleeping through the night."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that we'll be doing this for a while. The only plus is that we don't have those old world 9 to 5 jobs."

"That's a great thing."

"I want our children to be close Michonne. They're going to be leaders in this next world, and have a hand in building this country."

"I agree, and Rick is going to have big shoes to fill."

"No pressure there. Thank your mom Rick."

"You're their father, and books are going to be written about you. We need to make sure we tell our children the whole story. We tell them everything, the good and the bad."

"I agree. I would want them to have the facts, before they run into the fiction."

He sat down on the bed beside her, and leaned in and kissed her.

"I love you Michonne."

"I love you too."

Michonne stopped talking and shyly looked at Rick.

"What are you thinking?"

"How beautiful that was."

"You see why I woke you up?"

"Yeah."

He looked into her eyes and seriously considered what he had to say.

"Do you think we could do that, I mean raise a family? I want that Michonne. I know in this world it will take a long time to establish a solid functioning system, and I think our children should have a hand in shaping it. You and I won't be here to see it, but we can plant seeds."

"I miss Hershel's farming metaphors. I miss seeing you digging in dirt."

She noticed that he was still serious.

"What's wrong?"

"Your dream. It all makes so much sense. From beginning to end, none of it is unobtainable. It's just that our immediate future is causing me to worry a bit."

"But you feel like fighting for it don't you?"

"Yes I do, to the death if that's what I have to do."

He looked down at his hand covering hers on the bed, then he looked into her eyes.

"I would have fallen in love with you before the outbreak. Your dream went right down into my soul and comforted me there. I have to have you in my life Michonne, no matter what."

He pulled her to him and held her.

"I'll always be with you." She said quietly.

"Out of all of this, what have I done for you? I can see where I've frustrated you, angered you, and even at times, provided humor for you, but sometimes I feel that I take from you more than I give back."

"Rick, you are the one man capable of satisfying me beyond anything I've ever known before. That's all I've ever wanted. You've covered all the bases with me Rick Grimes. I knew that the first time I looked into your eyes through that fence at the prison."

He was speechless. Again, she had disarmed him without firing a shot.

 _ **{fin}**_


End file.
